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Now that the 2013 Volkswagen CC mid-size luxury sedan has officially made its debut at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show, we’re pleased to note that the actual four-door coupe looks even better up close and personal.

MotorAuthority was all over the scene at the show, and the live photos from the floor show off the latest iteration of the CC.

Since we previewed the new CC a bit earlier, here we’ll just pass along some of the specifics gleaned from its auto show debut.

Major updates

While the CC has only been around for a short four years, it is interesting to note that, at the time of its launch, it was the first “affordably-priced” four-door coupe for sale in the U.S. This niche for Volkswagen may have even surprised company executives, since the global sales of the CC (known as the Passat CC in other parts of the world) have reached nearly 270,000.

For 2013, VW has opted for a mid-cycle refresh, just enough to keep the CC fresh for a bit longer before a complete redesign. Even so, the German automaker has found ways to make some “major updates” that include new front and rear styling, new seating for five, more standard equipment, two new colors (Black Oak Brown and Fortuna Red), and two new models, the 2.0T Sport Plus and the V6 Lux.

--Styling – The front and rear body sections of the CC have been reworked with the twin goals of making them look more elegant and yet muscular. Of note in the front grille are the three chrome bars that bear a styling resemblance to the Passat.
--Seating for five – As befitting a mid-size luxury family car, the interior of the new CC has been modified to seat five passengers. This is accomplished by way of a bench seat in the rear, instead of two individual bucket seats. VR6 models sport engineered ebony trim, replacing the Zebrano trim in other CCs.
--More standard features – Added standard features include Bi-Xenon headlights, LED taillights, LED license-plate illumination and bigger side-sill flares. Optional on CC Sport and standard on all other CC models are LED daytime running lights and the Adaptive Front Lighting system that turns up the beams by 15 degrees for increased visibility around corners. New standard features for the 2013 CC include front head restraints that adjust fore-and-aft and up-and-down. Also new is remote latching for the rear seatback. Both sections of the split seatback can be easily unlatched by using levers mounted under the rear shelf on the right and left sides of the trunk.
--2.0T Sport Plus – Slotting above the base 2.0T Sport, the 2.0T Sport Plus adds Bi-Xenon headlights with LED daytime running lights and Adaptive Front Lighting system, new 18-inch Mallory wheels with all-season 235/40 tires and the RNS 315 navigation system. Power for all --2.0T models comes from a 200-horsepower 2.0-liter turbocharged and direct-injected TSI four-cylinder engine.
--V6 Lux – Another new model in the CC lineup, the V6 Lux is powered by a 280-horsepower 3.6-liter VR6 engine paired with a six-speed DRG dual-clutch automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Other standard features in V6 Lux include a rearview camera, headlight-washing system with heated nozzles, the RNS 510 navigation system with 6.5-inch touchscreen, leather seating surfaces, ventilated front seats, memory seating and mirrors, “Interlagos” 18-inch wheels, and engineered ebony trim.

Available in six models: 2.0T Sport, 2.0T Sport Plus, 2.0T R-Line, 2.0T Lux, V6 Lux, and VR6 4Motion Executive, the 2013 Volkswagen CC will go on sale in the spring of 2012. All 2.0T models and the V6 Lux are front-wheel drive. Only the VR6 4Motion Executive is all-wheel drive.